Fernandes' play translates to improvement for Union

Union midfielder Leo Fernandes dribbles the ball during last week’s game against New England at PPL Park. Fernandes, who filled in for ill captain Brian Carroll, set up the game’s only goal in the Union’s 1-0 win. (Julia Wilkinson/21st Century Media)

CHESTER — The difference a year has made for Leo Fernandes is striking, in a number of measurable categories.

The second-year midfielder looks bigger, more comfortable as a pro soccer player and, most prominent in Fernandes’ appraisal of his progress, he’s more fluent in Portuguese than he was this time last year.

The final point informs the growth that pushed him toward last Saturday’s starring role in a man-of-the-match performance in the Union’s home opener. It’s not just language-learning software that has fueled Fernandes growth, but a cultural sharing, on and off the pitch, that has improved his game.

Fernandes came to the Union last year from a variegated soccer past. Born in Brazil, he was raised in the American soccer atmosphere of Long Island en route for Stony Brook University.

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What the Union saw in him was potential, and the environment they constructed around him has helped bring out the best of that. Though mentorship wasn’t the stated intention, the Union’s acquisition of veteran South American players, specifically Brazilians like Fabinho, Kleberson and Fred, have given Fernandes mentors in the locker room and on the field.

In the process, he’s reconnected to his soccer roots, bringing a little of the Samba flair to the Union.

“When you think of Brazilians, you think of skillful and they play happy,” Fernandes said Wednesday at PPL Park. “So whenever I’m on the field, I feel happy and I just try to learn as much as I can from all the Brazilians on the team. But everyone else, all the new players on the team, I’ve learned so much from them already in such a short time.”

Fernandes has absorbed the culture of the Union’s locker room like a sponge. During training sessions, you can often find him honing his skills with any number of passing and dribbling games played with the passel of Brazilians among the Union’s ranks. The Portuguese he’s improved so rapidly has involved plenty of transmission of soccer stories.

Thanks to the influence of a culture where soccer is so paramount, Fernandes’ game in his sophomore campaign has taken on a newfound expressiveness. Where the American game can focus on technical ability, on precision and execution over individual improvisation, Fernandes has wedded the two disparate parts of his soccer tutelage.

“I think my creativity on the field, my vision, just by watching some of these players have improved my game tremendously,” Fernandes said. “… When I play, I want to stand out, I want to be different. I want to do things that people don’t really expect me to do, just be creative with the ball and try to impact the game.”

Among the most influential players, Fernandes said, is Fred, who has trained with the Union all preseason before being signed officially Thursday. Fred’s professionalism, soccer-playing verve and travel through the pro ranks is something for Fernandes to emulate.

“Fred this whole preseason, I’ve been watching him,” he said. “And you never know what Fred’s going to do on the ball. He might nutmeg two players in a row. He’s just a very fun and creative player to watch, and he really stood out to me this preseason.”

Saturday’s 1-0 win over New England was a prime example of his growing confidence. Not only did Fernandes make the play that led to Sebastien Le Toux’s goal, his first career MLS assist, he also provided a creative spark on several other occasions, including a sublime touch-pass to Cristian Maidana for what could’ve been another goal.

The fact that Fernandes, making just his eighth MLS appearance and fourth start, only found out he’d be in the starting XI moments before warmups, deputizing for the ill Brian Carroll, makes the impact all the more impressive.

That ability to step up has been a hallmark of Fernandes’ preseason, where he scored two of the Union’s three goals against pro opposition. In a midfield dotted by high-priced acquisitions avowing John Hackworth’s vision for a higher-quality brand of soccer, Fernandes has managed to fit in, accepting the challenge of the added competition this season.

“For me, being a young player, I watch all these good players and I just want to give 100 percent each and every day and try to make my game better,” Fernandes said. “Every day, I want to work on my weaknesses and see what they do well and try to copy them.”